Why should I enroll with College Tuition Solutions?
Not every parent is going to see the value of having a team of college experts working on their behalf. They should ask themselves:
- Do I have the time and money to learn everything everything I need to know about admissions and financial aid to afford college?
- Am I comfortable with not only taking advice but following through on it?
- Would my student welcome a disinterested third party to help guide the process?
- Could we benefit from having all of our financial aid forms completed correctly and on time?
Their hectic schedules and the stress of raising kids make it much harder to get through the process of applying for college and financial aid.
College Tuition Solutions helps parents save themselves hours of anxiety and frustration, as well as thousands of dollars in college costs and missed financial aid. Missing the wrong question or a critical deadline can be disastrous to an admissions or financial aid award. Our parents are kept aware of all requirements and progress, and know that their questions and concerns are promptly resolved.
What is considered a successful outcome?
A successful outcome is a student being accepted by a college where he or she will excel, a great financial aid award and mom and dad can comfortably manage the balance.
Couldn't I just do this myself?
You can. Most parents didn't know of a program where they could colleges and universities that would be a good fit academically, socially, financially and have their financial aid forms completed, too. If you're willing to become an expert on college enrollment management, the financial aid system, etc. and apply it to your own personal situation, then the answer is yes, you can do it yourself.
Why would I pay someone to fill out a free form?
The government doesn't charge to file tax forms, but still many people pay an accountant or a CPA to prepare their returns. And yet, College Tuition Solutions
doesn't charge a fee to complete and file your student's FAFSA. Parents simply prefer to save time and hassle, and more importantly, knowing that their forms are filed timely and accurately by a professional.
Can't colleges help me?
The smaller colleges are more likely to help you with the forms than the big universities. It's a question of size and staffing. If you go that route, in essence, you are showing them all of your cards, which could cost you a lot of money.
Look at it from this perspective: colleges can't serve two masters. Financial aid directors protect their employer's interest's first and help you second. To maximize financial aid at any college, you need to know what they know while telling them no more than is legally necessary.
How does College Tuition Solutions help families?
Parents today are really busy. We act as your personal financial aid expert and counselor, as well as your personal administrative assistant. The current FAFSA has 202 entries, while the federal 1040 has a mere 76 by comparison. However, College Tuition Solutions is not about filling in forms. It's about the entire admissions and financial aid process, approached holistically, which includes these key elements among others: Making sure your student applies to at least two colleges that would be very happy to offer a great scholarship or financial aid package; Preparing your financial data legally and ethically with the intent to increase financial aid eligibility; Performing thorough evaluations of each financial aid award to determine if it is fair and if it isn't, counseling you about your best options to get more money.
What are some of the problems that parents experience?
College Tuition Solutions is proactive rather than reactive. Usually, we can solve a problem while you are on the phone or within a few hours. We have many years of experience dealing with the many issues and problems that occur so that you don't have to spend hours figuring out what went wrong. Having said that, there are many possibilities for unforeseen problems. The later a family comes to us, the odds are that they have already experienced some difficulties. This is especially true with the increased amount of colleges and universities students apply.
We have worked with thousands of parents through death, divorce, loss of income and employment, stock market losses, foreclosures, missing financial aid awards, no record of student at the college, mismatched FAFSA PINs, blank EFC's, business problems, unforeseen medical costs, and others too numerous to mention here.
We make too much money and won't qualify for financial aid. What type of planning can you do for us?
Every family, regardless of income, should apply for financial aid. Many families with six figure incomes are surprised to learn they too, can qualify for financial aid. Too many parents underestimate their eligibility for financial aid, and every college uses their own methods to offer and disperse their resources and endowments.
Our admissions strategies can save you thousands per year in reduced costs. Such savings are referred to as Tuition Discounts. We are college planning specialists who have extensive financial backgrounds and can recommend strategies to your CPA, accountant, financial planner or attorney to lower your costs.
Do you give out loans or scholarships?
We are not a lending institution or a scholarship fund. However, we can guide you to reliable sources that do provide loans and private scholarships and we do offer a College Loan Evaluator so we can help you plan how you can quickly repay loans with as little cost as possible.
I've heard colleges will negotiate or give discounts on tuition. Is this true?
Colleges will deny that they "negotiate" with parents, but the fact is that if the school wants your student, they may sweeten their initial aid offer during the appeals process. Odds of receiving a preferential financial aid award are improved if the school really wants the student because of a special skill, talent or scholastic achievement and if a competing college has made a more lucrative financial aid offer.
How does College Tuition Solutions work with my family?
Depending on which program your student participates, you will be contacted soon after enrollment is complete and advised as what to expect and what we will need to help you.
For each of your student's colleges, we will advise you of any additional requirements and forms, assist with the Early Decision/Early Action process, as well as their deadlines, etc..
We follow up with you if there are steps that are required before we can proceed with the financial aid process, first by email, then by telephone.
You are kept appraised of tasks completed on your behalf and copies of all forms submitted.
We are available to assist you with questions and concerns, and we make it a point to return phone calls and emails.
Will I get a discount for additional children in my family?
College Tuition Solutions provides an individualized services for each student. Every student, even those from the same family, has their own unique circumstances and school requirements. Our services are priced so as to be affordable to as many families as possible, while still providing expert and professional service.
Do I have to have use the service every year?
As student have to reapply for financial aid each year that they are in school, we highly recommended that you renew with College Tuition Solutions to ensure that your student's aid is properly applied for. Rules, regulations, policies, and even the forms change each year and no matter what problem may crop up, we are available to you having full knowledge of your situation and will know how to resolve your difficulty immediately.
